Even If He Only Has One Arm
by Padfoot3456
Summary: Grimmjow has become a fugitive and is fully prepared to best Ichigo in battle. But what happens instead? He inadvertently gets turned into a cat? Um... What? GrimmIchi, boy kissing, sorta non-con in the beginning and then it's okay again. And Urahara.
1. Even If He Only Has One Arm

**A/N: **This is an edited version of the same story that I wrote a zillion years ago. I go back and I read my stuff and then I find faults and I try to fix them. Which is what this is. I hope you all like it just as much as the previous version, hopefully more. XD

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><p>Ichigo was confused. Angry, confused, and outraged. Grimmjow had gone too far this time. Luring him to a secluded warehouse, <em>molesting him<em>… Yeah. Way too far. Ichigo felt pretty pathetic himself- Grimmjow only had one arm, why the hell couldn't he just fend off the Espada?!

Grimmjow was currently holding him to the wall by the throat with one hand, ignoring the punches and kicks Ichigo sent his way. If only he could reach his Zanpakto! Damn it! The blunette finally managed to get his tongue in Ichigo's mouth, and Ichigo bit down hard.

Grimmjow jerked back, his pain obvious in the grimace on his face. Ichigo glared, breathing furiously. Grimmjow let out a breath, and Ichigo couldn't tell if he was pissed or… Or something else. The blunette leaned forward again, but this time did nothing but rest his forehead against Ichigo's. Nothing was said for several minutes, and since Grimmjow wasn't moving, Ichigo took the time to get his breath back and figure out a plan to get away.

Grimmjow moved, making Ichigo flinch in anticipation, but all the Espada did was gently nudge their foreheads together a few times in a strange pantomime of beating one's head against a wall. He sighed, and Ichigo was forced to breathe in his exhalation. And then the Espada was gone, seemingly disappearing in to thin air. Ichigo cursed loudly after him, ignoring the way the encounter made him feel, like he had somehow let his rival down.

oooOOOooo

Grimmjow hadn't gone far. Just to where he knew Ichigo would not be able to detect his reiatsu so long as he tamped it down hard enough. He stood quietly among the machines at the power plant, his right hand trailing along the dirty metal. It came away dark with grime, and Grimmjow sneered and wiped it on his pants. He sighed again, sitting heavily against a small power shed. Raising his right knee and keeping his left leg flat on the ground, Grimmjow rested his elbow on his raised knee, ignoring how his left shoulder ached.

His left shoulder ached all the time now. It was as if it knew that an appendage should be there, and was confused and complaining as to why it wasn't. A flash of anger came at the thought of Tousen, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

"_Anything forcibly taken is not truly yours, Grimmjow. Except for in a battle, if you stole it, it will never be yours."_

"Damn Shinigami." Grimmjow muttered.

Those same words had been shouted to him across a battle field by the one and only Ichigo Kurosaki. At the time, Grimmjow had been pissed. What the fuck was _that_ supposed to mean? But now he understood. Now he understood perfectly. And what sucked even more was that Ichigo was right.

He wanted Ichigo. He thought perhaps he could just take the berry-head by force and that would be that. One time. Just enough to get the stupid Shinigami out of his head forever, and let him go on with his life in peace.

But when he was kissing Ichigo, when Ichigo fought back, there was some arousal. But mostly it was hurt. Hurt that Ichigo obviously didn't respond well to spontaneous molesting, and hurt that he had been right. If he really wanted Ichigo, he was going to have to take the long way around. Win him over. But how was he supposed to do that? Grimmjow didn't know how to love someone. Not properly. All he knew how to do was fight and kill and win. That was it.

And why would Ichigo like him anyway? He'd nearly killed the sonofabitch more times than he could count on two hands, and the same way vice versa. And even if that stuff hadn't happened, Grimmjow was an asshole. He knew that. And even beyond personality-wise, he was maimed and broken. He was missing a fucking arm, for chrissake. He couldn't hug Ichigo, or hold him. And the whole Shinigami vs. Espada thing would definitely make things difficult.

He'd left the Arrancars. So now he was a fugitive, too. He'd almost forgotten about that. Once his position as Sexta was taken from him, Grimmjow was too pissed to even see any of their faces anymore. He just… Couldn't take it. And rather than challenging Aizen (Grimmjow was headstrong, not stupid) head on, he'd left instead. And now he was hiding like some scared little animal and-

"This is all fucked up." Grimmjow growled to himself, curling his leg closer and burying his face into the crook of his elbow. He didn't want to see the world right now. "Dammit, I fucked up."

"Yes, I'd say you did." A nonchalant voice called.

Grimmjow's head snapped up. He was met with the vision of a man in clogs and a fedora-looking hat, his face mostly in shadow. He growled, low and menacing in the back of his throat.

"You really want a chance with Ichigo?" The man's voice changed subtly, becoming more serious.

Grimmjow stood and grabbed the front of the man's robes, snarling in his face. "How the fuck do you know about that?!"

"Doesn't matter. All that matters is that I want to give you a chance."

"…Why?"

"Because I think you'd be good for each other." The man said dryly.

It only took a second for Grimmjow to make his decision.

"I'll do it."

oooOOOooo

"Oh, Ichigooooo~"

"What the hell are you doing at my house, Urahara?!" Ichigo had opened the door at nine in the morning, only to be met with an overly cheerful Kisuke Urahara who was carrying something white and blue under his arm.

"I have a surprise for youuuu~"

"…Get in here before the neighbors call the cops." Ichigo stood aside with a resigned sigh.

Urahara flounced in, taking a seat on the couch without being asked. Ichigo closed the door and followed, not offering to get him a drink or anything considering he'd come unannounced. Also, it was Urahara. Knowing him, some weird shit was about to happen and they wouldn't have time for drinks.

"What's this 'surprise'?" Yes, Ichigo was a little curious.

"Here he is!"

"…He?"

Kisuke was holding up a disgruntled looking cat. It was white all over with black-and-blue tiger stripes up and down it's body. It was missing it's left front leg. Ichigo wasn't quite sure how this was supposed to be a surprise. Yes- a dumbass cat that got hit by a car. Big deal. What did Urahara want him to do, feel sympathy for the thing? Ichigo didn't even_ like_ cats.

"Yes, he! He is your new pet."

"What."

"Well, I certainly can't keep him. And so I thought who would love a wonderful pet cat? Ichigo, of course!"

"I think Orihime would be more appreciative than I am."

"Oh, but he's incredibly smart!"

"I don't want a cat, Kisuke."

"Oops, look at the time, I've got to go." Kisuke ran out of the house, leaving the cat in a heap on the couch.

"Hey! Hey! Get back here!" Ichigo ran after him, but he was halfway down the front walk before he realized that he'd never be able to catch up with Urahara at that rate.

So instead he stomped back inside, slamming the door behind him. Well, at least the rest of his family would be thrilled. They were all out shopping at the moment, so Ichigo was left to take care of the clinic by himself. This seemed to be happening a lot more lately. He came back to the living room to see the cat trying to sort out all its limbs, awkwardly balancing on the cushions. It looked up at him with the most heart breaking look on its face. The cat opened his mouth like it was going to meow, but no sound came out.

"Yeah, we both got jipped. You get landed with a missing limb and I get landed with you." Ichigo sighed. "You better get used to having three legs real fast, because I am not carrying you around everywhere, dude. It's just not happening."

And he walked out again, intent on getting back to Tumblr.

oooOOOooo

"Meow."

Ichigo ignored it.

"Mroww…"

Ichigo clicked on an image to enlarge it.

"Mew."

He was pretty sure that if he looked over he'd see the most pitiful thing he'd ever seen in his entire life. And then not give a fuck. He knew he sounded like a heartless bastard, but he just didn't like cats, charity case or not. And he'd been much more frustrated than usual because of the Grimmjow incident.

"Meow!"

"FINE. I'll let you out. Good god…" Ichigo got up and opened the back door just enough for a cat to slip through.

It gave him a look that plainly said _'I absolutely hate your guts but thank you'_ and ran out the door, hobbling and unsteady. Ichigo closed it without a second thought and went back to Tumblr. He checked the clock- it was nearly four in the afternoon. His family should be home soon. Ichigo wondered how his sister's day had gone, and what sorts of stories they had to share. Because they always had stories. Smiling at the thought, Ichigo went to check his email to pass the time.

oooOOOooo

"Ichi-nii! We're home!" Yuzu called.

Ichigo shut off the television, appearing the hallway with a smile on his face.

"Need any help carrying anything in?" He asked.

"No, I think we got it all. Thanks, though!" Karin grinned.

"What took you guys so long?" It was almost seven now.

"Dad got… Erm…" Yuzu started, blushing.

"Sidetracked." Karin said flatly, rolling her eyes.

"Ah." Ichigo understood instantly. "Did you make it through the flood?" He chuckled- it had started to rain at about five thirty.

"Yeah, we're fine. Karin thought to bring umbrellas." Yuzu set the bags down on the kitchen table and began putting away the groceries.

Suddenly, something Ichigo had been trying to remember clicked in his head. Four o'clock, what had he done? Let the cat out. It was seven now. It started raining five thirty. How long was that? An hour and a half that that cat had been out there in the rain. Oh. Shit.

Ichigo ran to the back door. Whether he felt pity or not for the cat, whether or not he liked cats in general, it was still a living being and so far hadn't done anything to deserve being left out in the rain.

Sure enough, there it was, sitting miserably on the back step. It was huddled into itself, eyes closed and ears down against the relentless raindrops, fur soaked to the bone and shivering. When Ichigo opened the door, it didn't even move. He scooped it up, trying to get the least amount of water on himself as possible, and brought it inside, kicking the door shut behind him.

"Karin, could you get me a towel from the linen closet?" He called. He heard a faint affirmative from the kitchen, which was where he was headed now.

Karin brought it to him, barely blinking at the sight of the cat. "Nice pet." She grinned. "He's cute."

"Thanks." Ichigo muttered, taking the towel from her.

He brought the cat into the kitchen, slipping past Yuzu and her squeals of happiness at the cat. Ichigo placed the animal into the sink, washing him with warm water to help warm him up before he started drying it off. The entire time the little animal looked up at him with bright blue eyes, an expression in them that was too hard for him to read.

Ichigo wrapped the cat in the towel when he was done washing him, taking it to the couch so that he could finish watching TV while he toweled off the cat. His dad had yet to make an appearance, so hopefully things would be peaceful long enough for the cat to get his bearings again. Ichigo began to rub the fabric over the cat's fur, getting everywhere he could and being very thorough.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't have to like you, but that doesn't mean I have to be cruel to you." He murmured to the cat. "So… Sorry."

"Murrr."

"That sounds like an _'I forgive you'_ if I've ever heard one." Actually, it sounded more like _'fuck you, bastard'_.

Ichigo noticed then that the cat actually had a collar and a name tag. He took the time to look at it. It was named Sita.

"Sita? That's your name? Maybe we should start over." Ichigo sighed.

oooOOOooo

The cat took to laying in Ichigo's lap the rest of the evening, whether Ichigo liked it or not. It wouldn't stop moving, licking itself dryer than Ichigo had managed with the towel. The first time Ichigo stood up to get it off his lap, Sita fell to the floor and flat on his face. Yuzu was concerned for the cat's safety, Karin thought it was the funniest thing in the entire world, and Ichigo tried to be indifferent, but found that the way Sita looked absolutely miserable was actually pretty cute.

When Ichigo made an executive decision to go to bed, he began climbing the stairs slowly. After a few seconds, he heard a gentle rhythm of thumps behind him. On the landing, he looked back. There was Sita, dutifully following him as if he was climbing a mountain. The cat was attempting to leap two stairs at a time, and actually making good progress. Once he was at Ichigo's feet, he looked up as if to say _'that's all you got?! Bring it!'_

Ichigo just scooped him up and carried him the rest of the way, griping about how Sita really needed to learn how to use three legs instead of four.

oooOOOooo

Ichigo lay in bed, the lights off and a thin sheet covering him, keeping him cool in the summer heat. The only warning he got was a little purr before Sita jumped up on the bed for the fifteenth time. Ichigo didn't push him off this time. The cat seemed to get the message though and walked to the end of the bed, curling there and not making another noise. Kon's muffled yelling came from somewhere deep within the closet, but Ichigo ignored it.

He closed his eyes, and within minutes, was asleep.

oooOOOooo

Ichigo came home a week later to a very interesting scene. Sita, up on a very high shelf holding Kon's severed tail in his mouth, watching the stuffed animal running around the room, tail flicking behind him, bright blue eyes watching the lion's every move. Kon, meanwhile, was running in circles screaming at the cat to drop his tail this instant or so help him-

"Or so help you what?" Ichigo asked, amused. Sita's head snapped up, eyes suddenly alight.

"Mrow!" The meow sent Kon's tail falling to the floor, but the cat didn't seem to care anymore.

Kon snatched up his tail and ran for it, trying to figure out how to reattach it. Meanwhile, Sita leapt off of the shelf and trotted up to Ichigo, tail waving. He had gotten much better at walking and running over the past few days, and Ichigo had actually gotten pretty attached to him. He picked up the cat, cradling him gently against his own chest, listening to the loud purr that had started up from the animal.

The phone rang, so Ichigo, holding Sita in one arm, went to answer it.

"Hello, Kurosaki clinic, how may we help you?" He asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"Heyyy, Ichigo!"

"What do you want, Urahara?" Ichigo was suddenly no longer trying to sound happy.

"Would you mind coming over for a little bit? And bring the cat with you! Bye-bye now!"

As usual, Urahara left no room for argument and hung up. Sighing, Ichigo shrugged. He might as well go now. He wondered if he should get a cat carrier for Sita, but decided hesitantly to try just walking with the cat in his arms. He toed on his shoes and stepped outside. Sita did not move. Relief flooded his chest. Ichigo, shrugging it off, began walking down the sidewalk. No one was there but him, so there were no weird looks received. Thankfully.

Then, when they were almost there, Sita jumped out of his arms. Fear for the cat's safety overcame Ichigo for a moment, and he hesitated. Then he realized that the cat just wanted to walk- it was actually following him so closely that they were brushing each other. So he kept going, albeit a little more nervously this time.

"I'm here." They made it, however, with a minimum of trouble.

"Urahara wants you to go to the training room." So that's where Ichigo went, Sita still following his every move in that weird hobbling hop that he had.

A strange thing happened the moment they entered the room, however. Sita began to grow. And grow. And grow. And then there was cursing, lots of it.

"Urahara, what the fuck, you said three days-"

"Grimmjow?! What the hell?!"

"I never said anything about three days~"

"Ya fuckin' said, three fuckin' days. _What the hell._"

"Grimmjow!"

"What, Ichigo?!"

"I'm just going to leave you two here to sort out your issues. Please don't try and escape, you'll only hurt yourselves."

And again, Kisuke was gone, the glint in his eye telling them he was serious.

"…He really pisses me off." Grimmjow grunted. "Is he like that all the time?"

"That's not the point here. What the hell is going on?!"

"… Maybe we should sit down."

"Bullshit. Quit stalling, Grimmjow. What's going on?!"

"Alright. Just don't hit me when I say I told ya so." Grimmjow shrugged, grinning nervously. "So. Um. I… I… Fuck, I like you Ichigo."

"What."

"More than I ever should have, alright?! Don't ya dare make me fuckin' say it again." Grimmjow took a shuddering breath. "And you were right. You were always fucking right, Ichigo."

"What… What do you mean?" Ichigo was thoroughly dazed by now. Grimmjow…? Liked _him_?

"I mean, when you said that ya can't have anythin' if ya take it by force. That it ain't yers. And ya were right, 'kay? I… I tried ta take ya by force, but it didn't feel right. It didn't feel right here." Grimmjow wasn't looking at him as he placed his hand over his Hollow Hole. "Or here." His hand moved up to his chest. "Or here, even." And he tapped his temple.

What was this, Grimmjow becoming morally sound?! Ichigo eased down and sat on the last staircase step, Grimmjow watching his every move with trepidation. The teal haired man cleared his throat and continued, gathering the last vestiges of his pride and courage.

"So, like the fuckin' pussy I am, I ran and hid from ya. That's when Urahara found me and asked me if I wanted another chance. I wasn't 'bout to pass that up. I didn't know he was going to turn me into a fuckin' cat and send me to live with ya." Grimmjow's mouth went dry. "I'm… I'm sorry, Ichigo. I… I didn't know he was gonna-"

"Shut up."

"I wouldn't've gone with it if I kn-"

"Shut up, Grimmjow."

"I'm really, really sorry."

"_Shut up, Grimmjow_."

Grimmjow's jaws shut with an audible click. His right hand had clenched into a fist, and his knees felt like jelly. Ichigo was silent for a long, long time.

"…I-Ichigo? Say somethin'." He paused a second before confessing, "You're scaring me." Why did he feel so vulnerable right now? He was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, killer of many, fearsome Espada! And here he was, stuttering like a weak little fool?! What the hell was wrong with him?!

"Grimmjow, come here." Grimmjow scooted closer to Ichigo. "Sit down." He did, next to Ichigo on the step.

"I think… All you had to do to get me to go out with you was ask me on a date." Ichigo stated bluntly.

Grimmjow had no idea what to say to that for a little bit, and was quite gobsmacked.

"Kiss me you idiot." Ichigo finally grumbled under his breath, blushing furiously.

Grimmjow did.

It was soft, hesitant, and nothing at all like his previous attempt. This time it didn't feel wrong. It didn't feel way too fast and way too hard. It was firm, yes, but more gentle at the same time.

"What happened to all your ferocity, Grimmjow?" Ichigo taunted when they separated, a little misty eyed.

"I… I wanted to show ya that I'm not… Not always who people think I am." Grimmjow was afraid to touch Ichigo, afraid to send him running. But at the same time, he wanted to cling to Ichigo's shirt and prevent him from doing so, force him to listen. He didn't, though. "I wanted to show ya that I'm not always like that. That I'm not always such a horrible person." Grimmjow seemed to crumple under the weight of his own words, as if saying them made them true. Ichigo didn't miss this, watching as Grimmjow's head drooped to look at the ground rather than the person he was addressing. "That… Even if we're total opposites, that maybe we can work. If only for a little while."

"I don't want a little while." Ichigo growled, taking a hold of Grimmjow's cheek and forcing the Espada to look at him again. "I want forever. Or as close to it as we can get." He rubbed his thumb over Grimmjow's mask, trying to soothe the growing agitation he saw in the teal haired man's eyes.

"So… Ya still want me… even if I'm a total dick?"

"Even if you're a total dick."

"Even if I'm a Hollow?"

"Even if you're a Hollow."

"…Even if I've only got one arm?" Grimmjow smiled a very fragile, hopeless smile, gesturing to his left shoulder. For some reason, this felt like the most important question of all.

"Especially if you've only got one arm." Ichigo kissed him again, and Grimmjow felt like flying. Like maybe, just maybe, things weren't going to be so bad after all.


	2. Even If He Lost His Shinigami Powers

Name: Ichigo Kurosaki

Occupation: Deputy Shinigami

Nature of Injury: Amnesia

Cause: Unknown. Thought to be an accidental encounter with a Menos Grande, which resulted in a head injury.

oooOOOooo

"Who _are_ you?"

It was a slap to the face, and I reeled back in shock.

"Wh-what?"

"Who _are you_? I mean, I know you're Grimmjow. And we're rivals. But who do you think you are?!"

"I… I…" I sat down in midair, my mind having been thrown through a loop.

It had just been getting good. We had just been getting to really know each other. When we were together, we weren't Shinigami and Espada. We were Ichigo and Grimmjow. But Aizen had been gaining on me steadily for a while. I didn't want to put Ichigo in danger. So I left for a while. It wasn't like I left without telling Ichigo. In fact, we talked about it, and Ichigo said he understood, and I promised I'd be back… What was going on here?

"You mean… You don' remember?" I heard my own voice, weak and questioning.

"What is there to remember?!" I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

Suddenly I didn't care where I was. I didn't care that I was surrounded by Ichigo and his 'friends'. I didn't care. Ichigo didn't remember anything, and what else was there to care about other than him? There wasn't anyone else I could turn to, no one else to trust. No one else good in my life. And now that was gone, too. My arm. My status. My home. My Ichigo.

"WHAT THE FUCK ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE FROM ME?!" I screamed, unsure of who I was demanding this of but demanding all the same.

In the end, I learned, having one arm and a lot of strength doesn't amount to anything when you're up against a bunch of Soul Reapers.

oooOOOooo

I woke up alone. Alone, cold, and hungry. Then again, I was always hungry. For power, for Hollows. There were some things that I always was. Always hungry. My left shoulder always ached. My Hollow Hole always ached. My mask always itched.

But besides the usual shit, now my head hurt and my body stung. Everywhere. I groaned and sat up. I felt like I'd just been hit by a train. I reached for Pantera. Gone. I wasn't surprised. I looked around at the empty, dark cell. It was pretty large, too. As far as cells go, I mean. Around my neck something was fastened tightly. A collar? I reached up to touch. Yes. Reiatsu suppressing, probably. I didn't want to test it.

I'll admit it. I was scared. Really scared. I was in the belly of the beast. Alone. I doubted that even Aizen would come here. Not now. I was going to die here, probably after being interrogated. That's what I would've done, were I the Soul Society. And all I could do was wait. No sooner had I finished thinking about that then a man with black hair came in. He wore a captain's coat, and it took me a moment to remember his name.

"Byakuya." I sneered. I was scared, but they didn't have to know that.

"… Grimmjow." He acknowledged. "You're going to tell me everything."

oooOOOooo

I hadn't said a fuckin' thing. I yelled in pain, I spat at his feet in blood. I wasn't going to talk. Not to him. Never. He'd have to… Kill… Me…

My thoughts slowed down. Ichigo had entered the room, and all I could do was stare out of my squinted eyes. Blood from some headwound was dripping into my eyes, stinging and burning and making it even harder to see. I was so tired. In the sudden silence of the room, I realized how harsh my breathing was. I also realized how it was only silent because the scream had died in my throat.

Ichigo jerked his head back to where I assumed the door was. Byakuya had pinned me to the back wall with some rope he'd thoughtfully brought along, so I couldn't see.

"Renji was lookin' for you. Said it was important." Byakuya nodded shortly, and throwing me a last contemptful look, (I growled wordlessly back) left.

Ichigo didn't say a thing to me. He came over and untied me from my place. He rubbed the feeling back into my arm, ignoring the blood that now covered his hands.

"What's…. What's goin' on out there?" I asked, unable to help myself. I needed to know.

"They're trying to decide what to do with you." Ichigo said it like it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh." I didn't have the strength to be angry anymore. I just wanted to get the fuck out of here.

Once I was standing on my own, I slid down the wall. I was so tired…

"Don't you dare fall asleep, Grimmjow. Dammit, Byakuya, you went too far!" I don't think I was meant to hear that second part.

But I didn't give a fuck. Ichigo was holding me close to his chest, touching me again. So what if I sounded like a goddamn school girl? If you were me, you'd understand exactly how inexplicably happy I was. But I'd also do just about anything for Ichigo. So I stayed awake. The orange haired girl ran in. What was her name…? Orihime? That sounded right. Were all of Ichigo's friends here? When did Ichigo call her? She began to heal me, but just the wounds Byakuya had caused. She left my left shoulder out, and I couldn't be sure if it was on purpose or not. Ichigo had stepped back to give Orihime room, leaving me lying on my back.

"Hey. Ichigo." I wanted his attention. I wanted him to listen really closely.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"… I'll tell you everything." And I did. Maybe I thought it would put me back in his good graces, even if he didn't remember.

I talked so long my thorat was raw and my jaw hurt. I talked even after Orihime left. I talked even after I finished explaining what I knew about Aizen and the Espada. I talked about whatever came to mind- my imprisonment, where I'd been while I was away, the kind of human music I liked, how I felt about Ichigo (that was something I may never discuss again. It was downright embarrassing, and I never want to talk about it again.), what had happened between us and how much I wanted us to have that again, but if he truly didn't want to be with me then I would let him go and be content with just being around him. Even though I said that would be okay with me, I knew instinctively that it really wouldn't.

I talked until I ran out of topics, until I ran out of things to say. And then we were silent for a while. Ichigo stood up, and I watched as he left without a word. He was just outside the cell when I called out to him.

"Ichigo!" He paused. "If… If this is the last time we're going to see each other… Tell me goodbye. Turn around, look me in the face, and tell me goodbye."

He didn't. He just kept walking. I stood, but didn't go to the bars to see him leave. When Ichigo was just out of sight, when I heard the door shut behind him, I let out a scream of absolute frustration. I hoped he'd heard it. I hoped he felt bad. I was going to die a nothing. A nobody. I wasn't anything to anyone, not anymore. I wasn't even a tool. Being a tool would be better than nothing, even with my pride.

oooOOOooo

Renji was very nearly in a panic. Ichigo had relayed the information Grimmjow gave him, but it had come too late. Karakura town was already being attacked. Thankfully, precautions had been taken and the captains were already on their way. The citizens and real Karakura town were safe. But Renji couldn't find Ichigo anywhere. The only place he hadn't checked was Grimmjow's cell. So he went there. HE witnessed in partial shock as Ichigo helped Grimmjow out of the cell, removing the reiatsu suppressing collar.

"Your friend's spyin' on us." Grimmjow growled in that rough voice he had. Renji had never seen an Espada look so submissive and yet dangerous. And by this point, he'd seen the Espadas more than he'd like to admit.

"I know. C'mon, Renji, we've gotta go!" Ichigo and Grimmjow ran past him, and as the teal haired man went by, the redhead realized that he had his zanpakto back. Renji had no idea how Ichigo pulled that off, but he decided that if anyone asked, he didn't see what he just saw.

oooOOOooo

I was fighting for my life. I never thought I'd be fighting on the Soul Reaper's side, but here I was. I was going to kill Luppi, but the captain fighting him told me to stay out of it. Fuck that, I was going to murder that little bastard! It didn't matter that I only had one arm. I could still kick his ass. I took over the captain's fight. Luppi was dead pretty quickly after that. He obviously had underestimated the extent of my anger.

"Thanks." The captain grumbled reluctantly.

"Don't mention it."

Movement caught my eye. I snapped around, and was rushing forward before I realized what I was doing.

oooOOOooo

Aizen had been ready to land an attack on Ichigo's friends, show the little twit why you didn't mess with him or get in his way. But instead of stabbing Ichigo's friend… He'd stabbed Grimmjow? Aizen laughed. It made no difference to him.

"You're protecting these pitiful humans? You, Grimmjow? I really expected better." Aizen laughed cruely, twitching his sword and causing a groan of pain to fall from Grimmjow's lips.

"Why are you helping us?!" Uryuu snarled.

"You're Ichigo's friends." Grimmjow turned a little, looking back at Ishida with the saddest eyes. "That's all the reason I need. He'd be sad if you died."

oooOOOooo

I don't remember the end of the battle. I remember collapsing on the earth after Aizen's attack, the breath leaving my body as I landed. I remember Ichigo's reiatsu disappear just before I passed out. I remember waking up with Urahara hovering over me.

"Ah! See? I told you getting him into a Gigai would help him wake up!" He grinned.

"A… A what?" I mumbled. My mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and the right side of my face felt strangely light and non-itchy.

"A Gigai! A body!" Urahara looked pleased.

"Oh." I couldn't feel Ichigo's reiatsu. I felt reality begin to crumble a little.

"Ichigo's fine, if that's what you're wondering. He's just lost his Shinigami powers." Urahara became abruptly serious.

"Oh." I couldn't convey my relief with just that word.

"He hasn't really been around, though… Thank you for agreeing to check on him later today!"

"Wha- sure." I wasn't entirely sure what I had just agreed to. I was still stuck on the 'lost his shinigami powers' business.

But before I knew it, I was up and walking absently down the street towards Ichigo's house. My Gigai still didn't have a left arm, and I rubbed my shoulder self-consciously. Thunder rolled above me. I ignored the water falling from the sky that landed on my shoulders and head as I walked. Ignored the way it soaked my tank top through, and the way it made my nylon cargo pants chaff. My hair hung in my eyes, dripping water onto my nose and lips. I didn't bother brushing it away. I kept rubbing the right side of my face, where my cheek was unmarred by my mask. It felt weird, but not bad. And my Hollow Hole was gone, too. That was just strange.

I got to Ichigo's house without having to stop and ask for directions. Guess I'd just memorized where it was by now. I stood outside for a long time, unsure of whether to knock or walk in or something. What would happen if I did? How would Ichigo react? And what would happen if I just walked away?

I'm not sure how long I stood there. Guess I lost track of time. But the door did eventually open to reveal Ichigo. We blinked at each other for a moment and then I looked away, down at my feet. My right arm felt useless just hanging by my side, so I rubbed my neck nervously, if only so I didn't look totally stupid.

"Um… Hey."

oooOOOooo

The sight of Grimmjow in the rain reminded me of something. What was it?

_A little cat in the rain, huddled in on itself, ears flat against its head to protect against the raindrops. Shivering and cold, soaked to the bone._

Something in Grimmjow reminded me of that cat. The way he shuffled his feet and bowed his head. It was kind of coming back to me now… I invited him in, told him to wait while I got him a towel. As I took the towel out of the linen closet, it hit me. Grimmjow _was_ the cat. This towel was the same one I used to dry him off the first time. I thought that as I held the fluffy green bath towel in my hands. I could remember now.

A slow, mischievous smile spread across my face. I'd make him wait just a little longer. Really surprise him. After carefully arranging my face into a calm, stoic expression, I went back out to Grimmjow. He hadn't moved much. Just took off his shoes and rubbed his pants mostly dry. They still looked damp.

"C'mon." I had to practically tug him into the living room.

I sat down on the couch, towel in my lap. Grimmjow started to reach for it, but I jerked it away.

"Sit." I gestured between my knees.

"I can do i-"

"Sit." A little more demanding this time.

I watched Grimmjow's every move as he walked in front of me. I spread my knees, motioning between them vaguely. I was doing this to him on purpose, yes. I saw his Adam's Apple bob when he swallowed and slowly sunk to his knees in between my own.

"Arm." He raised his arm, his fingertips brushing my chest.

I took the towel and dried his shoulder first before going down his bicep and then forearm. I took a torturously long time on purpose, enjoying the way he tried not to watch me work. And I thought chivalry was dead- he obviously was trying to respect how he thought I felt. I finished with his arm and gently put it back down by his side. He didn't say anything as I swabbed his throat and collarbone, nor as I sweapt the towel gently over his face. I moved on to his hair, covering his head and rubbing gently at first and then more vigorously. Grimmjow's arm shot out and grabbed my knee for balance, and he spread his knees a little more. I grinned.

Finally, I changed my game up. Instead of just drying his hair, I began to massage his scalp. I remembered the soft, sensitive spot behind his ears, and purposely massaged there. Just as I predicted, a little moan tumbled out of his mouth, unanticipated, so he couldn't stifle it in time.

"Enjoying this, Grimmjow?" I asked playfully, moving the towel so I could see his face, using my thumbs on either side of his head to tilt it up and force him to look at me.

His cheeks were a little red, and his eyes clouded over. It took him too long to say something, so I rubbed behind his ears again with the pad of my thumb, sliding lower to stroke his throat. Just as I expected, he opened his mouth and made a little cry that, did I not value my life, I would have called a meow.

I slid off the couch and onto the floor to be level with him, chest to chest, forehead to forehead, breathing each other's air. I held him tightly so he couldn't get away and whispered in his ear.

"Even if you only have one arm."

Suddenly, he was clinging to me, his lips on mine in a fierce kiss. We broke apart, breathless.

"Do you still love me, even if I forgot?" I asked.

"Even if you forgot." Grimmjow buried his face in my neck, dropping little kisses there and tiny love bites. He was making it very hard to think.

"Even if I was a dick?"

"Even if you were a dick." He rumbled into my skin. I shivered.

"Even if I've lost my Soul Reaper powers?" He pulled away, and I searched his face for some emotion that would indicate his affections had changed, or he was disgusted to be with such a weak person.

"Especially if you've lost your powers." He kissed me again, and I was reassured that no matter what happened, even if I had lost my memory and the shit had pretty much hit the fan, he still loved me.

* * *

><p>r/65sf0m/5

This is a link to the original end-notes. If it's broken, please let me know, and I will replace it. :3


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